On a recent show, you seemed to find it highly amusing to note the “irony” of a man named LaTourette calling for civility, and then characterizing a question received soon after as “bullshit.” This joke may have seemed funny at the time, but it was not harmless. The idea that Tourette’s syndrome equates to frequent swearing is a pernicious myth which dogs sufferers of this neurological condition. Tourette’s syndrome is characterized by a wide range of involuntary actions, both verbal and physical. Physical tics constitute involuntary, often repetitive, movements. Verbal tics may include such things as compulsively describing an object, making inarticulate sounds, repeating a single phrase, etc. Each person with Tourette’s syndrome has their own unique set of tics. Though compulsive swearing- termed coprolalia- is one such possibility, it by no means characterizes or typifies the condition.
Sufferers of Tourette’s syndrome often face crippling stigma due to their seemingly antisocial and poorly-understood actions. Spreading myths about the condition, even as a seemingly harmless joke, only serves to perpetuate this effect by clouding public understanding. Furthermore, as a public figure with a great deal of weight in progressive communities, it ill becomes you to make a joke which draws its punchline from the symptoms of a neurological disorder. I hope to see you set aside a moment on a future show to set the record straight.
Respectfully,
–Daniel F. Ross
The Shinies 